Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng arrives in New York

The human rights activist Chen Guangcheng arrives in the United States to
begin a new life after fleeing from house arrest in China.

1:01PM BST 20 May 2012

The self-taught legal activist, who campaigned against forced abortions under China's one-child policy, had been held under house arrest for almost 20 months, before he escaped on April 22 and made his way to Beijing where he sought refuge in the US embassy for six days.

The lawyer, accompanied by his wife and two young children, touched down at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey shortly after 6pm, bringing an end to the month-long international saga that shook US-Chinese relations.

Chen, one of China's most prominent dissidents, is going to study as a fellow at the NYU School of Law. Leaning on a crutch because of an injury suffered during his escape, he smiled and waved to a cheering crowd before speaking to reporters.

"I am very gratified to see that the Chinese government has been dealing with the situation with restraint and calm, and I hope the central government will be more liberal and push for deeper reform and to keep the justice and equality of society and earn the respect and trust of the people," he said.

"I want to tell everyone that no matter what environment you are in, no matter how difficult it is, we can accomplish anything we really want to achieve. Nothing is impossible if you persist. As we say in Chinese, there is nothing really difficult in this world, as long as you put your heart into it," he added.

But despite his upbeat mood, his supporters in China remain deeply concerned for the welfare of several of his relatives, including his nephew Chen Kegui, who has been charged with intentional homicide.